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| Tuesday, 8 February 2005 |
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Britain to tighten up on immigration LONDON, Monday (AFP) Unskilled foreigners will find it harder to migrate to Britain under new proposals due to be announced today, which also call for stricter screening of asylum seekers and tighter border controls. On the eve of a much-trailed ministerial announcement of the new, tougher immigration and asylum proposals, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told BBC Radio 4 that what Britain needs is "a set of rules that allow people to come in who the country needs, but have strict controls that actually work". "Whether we should cut the number or increase it (the annual net inflow of people into Britain) depends on the country's need," he added. The government has drawn up the five-year blueprint just three months before an expected general election in which immigration will be a major theme. Under the new system unskilled foreigners will find it harder to migrate to Britain and there will be stricter screening of asylum seekers and tighter border controls. "We will establish a system... which looks at the skills, talents, abilities of people seeking to come and work in this country, and ensures that when they come here they have a job and can contribute to the economy of the country," Home Secretary Charles Clarke told the BBC. To this end, the government wants to establish a system by 2008 to conduct proper tests and fingerprinting of everybody who obtains a visa, Clarke said. |
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